Police say car burglars being caught more often this year

Lock your cars, hide your valuables and be aware of your surroundings.  You hear those warnings every Christmas season.  But this year, police say it's working.

Packed parking lots are a given during the holidays.  Police say auto burglars usually are too. But this year, officers say more vehicle thieves are finding themselves behind bars.

"We're absolutely thrilled that we're able to catch so many of 'em and hopefully it'll have significant impact in decreasing auto burglars this season."

Beaumont Police Officer Randy Stevens says since the holiday season started, about a dozen auto burglars have been caught, and arrested. And that's reflecting in the volume of overall car crimes.

He said, "Whenever we catch them, we know that each person we catch is good for a good significant part of 'em."

He says the reason behind the busts is partially because burglars have changed their strategy.

"Burglars are getting pretty blantant," said Stevens, "And also I think that's just a little bit of stupidity on their part, that they think they're not going to get caught."

Police say busy parking lots and shopping centers are no longer the major target for thieves, residential streets like this one are now the new hot spot to hit.

But Stevens says preparation by police and regular people have spoiled those plans.

He said, "It's intelligence from all the information we're getting from reports and people calling in, giving us tips, to citizens being more aware, officers being more aware, so it's just all that coming together."

Police say to keep auto crime down, you have to keep the basics of safety up.

As always, if you see anything suspicious, police say do not hesitate to call 911.  And if you have any information about a crime, contact Crimestoppers at 833-TIPS.